It is written and directed by Pitch Black director David Twohy, with Vin Diesel reprising his role as Riddick and now also acting as producer. It is the first and so far only film in the franchise to be given a PG-13 rating.

After escaping the dark planet, Richard B. Riddick has been in hiding for five years, evading most of the bounty hunters and mercenaries. Riddick is reunited with Imam, the man he rescued. Imam believes Riddick is a Furian, a race of warriors long thought extinct, and wants to know about his homeworld and if anyone other than himself is left. Recaptured by Toombs, Riddick is taken to Crematoria, a harsh subterranean prison moon, where Jack, a girl Riddick rescued, was reported to have been sent.

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Richard B. Riddick has been in hiding for five years, evading bounty hunters and mercenaries sent to capture him. After killing a crew led by the mercenary Toombs and stealing his ship, he heads to New Mecca on the planet Helion Prime in the Helion System, after Toombs reveals his bounty originated there. Riddick is reunited with Imam, the man he rescued in the first movie. Imam believes Riddick is a Furian, a race of warriors long thought extinct, and wants to know about his homeworld and if anyone other than himself is left. Imam believes Helion Prime is the next planet to be conquered by a mysterious force crusading across the stars. Aereon, an Air Elemental, identifies the army as the Necromongers, religious fanatics who seek to convert everyone and kill those who refuse. The Necromongers attack, and take control of the capital in a single night. In the battle, Imam is killed and Riddick escapes.

The next day, the Necromonger high priest called "The Purifier" coerces the populace into converting, except for Riddick, who kills the man who killed Imam. Intrigued, the Lord Marshal orders Riddick be scanned by the Quasi-Dead, half-dead telepaths, who determine that he is indeed a Furian survivor. Lord Marshal orders Riddick's death, but Riddick escapes only to be recaptured by Toombs. Riddick is taken to Crematoria, a harsh subterranean prison moon, where Jack, the girl Riddick also rescued, is being held.

The Lord Marshal sends Commander Vaako to hunt Riddick down. Vaako's wife speaks to Aereon, who reveals that Furia was devastated by the Lord Marshal after he was told a child from that planet would kill him. Dame Vaako and her husband determine Lord Marshal wants Riddick dead, as he may be the child of said prophecy. On Crematoria, a disagreement breaks out between Toombs and the prison warden over what Toombs is owed for Riddick's bounty. Word about the Necromongers has reached the prison warden, who deduces that Toombs has stolen Riddick from them. Meanwhile, in the prison, Riddick finds Jack, now named Kyra, and they eventually reconcile.

The guards kill the bounty hunters (except Toombs), take the reward money, and prepare to leave before the Necromongers arrive. Riddick leads several prisoners across Crematoria's volcanic surface to steal the ship. The guards reach the hangar, just as the prisoners arrive to find the Necromongers have cornered them there. All of the guards and prisoners are killed, and Riddick is incapacitated by Vaako. With the approach of the vicious sunrise, Vaako leaves Riddick to die; Kyra is captured by the Necromongers.

However, Riddick is saved by the Purifier, who tells him that if he stays away from the Necromongers, the Lord Marshal promises not to hunt him. The Purifier then reveals that he too is a Furian before committing suicide by walking out into the scorching heat after encouraging Riddick to kill the Lord Marshal. Meanwhile, Vaako reports Riddick dead and is named heir apparent by the Lord Marshal. Riddick flies back to Helion Prime using Toombs' spacecraft, after leaving Toombs caged inside the prison.

Riddick infiltrates the main hall; Dame Vaako sees him but encourages her husband not to warn the Lord Marshal, but to let Riddick strike first and pave the way for Vaako to kill the Lord Marshal and take his place as leader. When Riddick attacks, the Lord Marshal presents Kyra, who appears to have been converted. Riddick fights the Lord Marshal one-on-one in front of his army, who prevails with his supernatural powers. When it appears that Riddick is about to be killed, Kyra stabs the Lord Marshal in the back with a spear. The Lord Marshal responds by punching her into a column of spikes, mortally wounding her. Vaako attempts to strike the wounded Lord Marshal, but misses. The distraction provides Riddick with the opportunity to deliver a killing blow. Kyra dies in Riddick's arms just before the Necromongers, including Vaako, kneel before Riddick as their new leader.

There are three versions of the film: the theatrical cut, which was PG-13; the Director's Cut, which is unrated (both the first and the second are available on DVD); and the third version, a mix of the two assembled for television viewing, which has some, but not all, of the added footage from the Director's Cut. For instance, the minor subplot in the Director's Cut of Riddick's visions, as well as his moments with Toombs' second in command, are both absent, but the ending from the Director's Cut is present.

The theatrical version of The Chronicles of Riddick received mixed reviews from critics. On review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes it has a 29% based on reviews from 116 critics, with an average score of 4.7/10. The site's critical consensus states "As an action movie, Riddick offers some thrills, but as a sequel to Pitch Black, it's a disappointment".[3]Metacritic gives the film a score of 38/100 based on reviews from 34 critics.[4]

Considering its production budget was reported to have been between $105 million[1] and $120 million[2] (which does not include marketing and distribution), the film was a box office disappointment. It grossed $57 million domestically, and its total worldwide gross stands between $107 million[2] and $115 million[1] depending upon sources; however, it was successful on DVD.[citation needed]

The "unrated director's cut" DVD (featuring scenes which were cut in order to obtain a PG-13 rating) was released on November 16, 2004, and sold 1.5 million copies on the first day alone.[6] On April 7, 2009, a remake of the video game was included with the release of the game sequel The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena.